The Unseen
by SNBRADY
Summary: Spoliers MichaelMisbegotten, After Michael leaves the hive he hides out on a planet, but a chance encounter changes his life forever.
1. Hunger

The Unseen

By: SNBRADY

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate: Atlantis or any of its characters.

Summary: Set after Misbegotten, when Michael leaves the hive he hides out on a planet, but a chance encounter brings changes to his life he'd never imagined.

Rating: M

Warnings: Violence, attempted rape and some mild swearing.

Hunger

The hunger has been gnawing at Michael for days now and he knows he can't resist it much longer. Slipping through the forest stealthily the village is a few miles away still but he knows he must be careful even from this distance, especially with the moon almost full. The night air is still and quiet except for the occasional call of a bird or a cool spring breeze that would sweep past him ruffling his hair.

Suddenly the evening's peace is shattered by a scream in the opposite direction of the village. Michael knows it's not another Wraith, he'd have sensed them, turning his pale eyes in the direction of the sounds, the screams and shouts float through the air like a specter hovering over him; his curiosity is getting the better of him. Turning in the direction of the noise he takes off at a run to investigate, if any thing maybe he could find some easy pickings away from the village at night.

Coming to the path used by the villagers Michael stops short the body of a young man is lying limply on the ground; his blood has spilled from his body to darken the soil beneath him. Knelling beside the body he flips it, lifeless eyes stare up at him, suddenly the sound of shouting combined with laughter from a short distance away reaches his ears.

Jumping to his feet Michael takes off in the direction of the voices, quietly rounding the corner the sight that greets him is more than a little unsettling. Two men have a young woman trapped against a large tree, she is shouting at them and she has a long stick in her hands trying to strike out at the men. Though her efforts to do so don't seem to be very effective and every time she'd strike out with her stick and miss the men would practically howl with laughter.

Finally one of the woman's swipes hits its mark, smacking the man closest to her across his face, drawing blood from the side of his lip. Unfortunately the triumph of the moment is quickly replaced by fear; the men's games have come to an end. The next swipe of the woman's stick is easily caught mid-air by the man she'd just hit, and he violently rips it from her hands. Her hands are bleeding now with the sheer force of her only defensive weapon being jerked from her grip. The man who received the blow grabs at the woman's arms slamming her back into the tree behind her with as much force as he can.

Watching the scene in front of him play out is making Michael's blood boil but the words that come from the man's mouth sends him completely over the edge into rage. The man has his body pressed against hers and is holding her arms at her side even as she struggles to get out of his grip, the man leans in to make sure she can hear him and says in a low cold voice, "I was going to take it easy on you, but just for that you blind little bitch I'm really going to enjoy this."

'_Blind, she's blind,'_ a human would not have been able to hear the quietly spoken words from the distance Michael had been watching. In truth he'd been waiting for a good moment to strike out at the men who were terrorizing the woman, without her seeing him but now that he knew that she couldn't see any way he wasn't about to hold back.

Leaping from his hiding place in a nearby tree, Michael first addresses the second man, a snarling hiss ripping from his mouth, he knocks the man unconscious with a few quick blows. The other man is still holding the girl when he realizes what is happening, he let go of her and starts running away. _'You coward, at least the girl actually put up a fight,'_ Michael thinks to himself as he begins to pursue the man. It doesn't take long to catch up with the man; he's rather short and heavy set and doesn't run very fast. Michael could have blasted the man with his stunner but the rage that he felt at the man's actions combined with his desire to feed has clouded his judgment somewhat. Tackling the man to the ground, Michael hasn't noticed the already bloody knife in the man's hand; until it slices through his shoulder when he flips the man to face him.

The pain from the knife wound is fleeting as Michael quickly heals, wrenching the knife from the man's chubby fingers. The look of fear in the man's eyes is extremely intoxicating for Michael as the man lays there trembling in fear, Michael's lips turn up into a wide grin revealing his sharp menacing teeth, "just for that I'm really going to enjoy this," echoing the man's words from earlier, just before his hand slams into the man's chest, and now it's his screams that fill the night air.

The withered husk that is left of the pathetic excuse for a man is of little consequence to Michael once he has what he wants from him; however, his hunger isn't completely satisfied but his second helping is just waiting for him unconscious not very far away. Taking a languid pace returning the few hundred yards to where the other man still lays unconscious, Michael's surprised to find that the woman has fallen to the ground a few paces from the tree where she'd been assaulted.

Not truly knowing what's come over him he slowly approaches her still form, pushing the hair from her face he feels the wet sticky blood that's slowly oozing from the back of her head. The bastard must have slammed her into the tree a lot harder than he'd originally thought, she was tough this little human, remaining conscious as long as she did. The woman's face is slowly growing paler and a twinge of worry creeps into Michael's mind.

He knew enough about human's to know that he'd need to get this bleeding stopped if he wanted her to live. But then another thought entered his mind, _'why should I care… why did I even care what happened to her before?'_ Maybe it was what Teyla had said to him all of those months ago in Atlantis about how she thought that the Wraith knew nothing of compassion, maybe he simply wanted to prove her wrong or perhaps he did truly feel compassion for this human.

Then again maybe it was Teyla who was wrong if the most recent example of human behavior was used, these men had decided to attack the woman just because she was at a disadvantage. As a Wraith he only killed because that was what he had to do to survive not just because he could and in his opinion these two deserved what they got for their actions this night.

A sound off to his side suddenly caught Michael's attention the man was beginning to stir, with no hesitation he pulls out his stunner and sends the man back into unconsciousness. Not wasting time now Michael grabs a hold of the man, and removes the two bags that are slung over his shoulder. Quickly stripping the man of his shirt Michael returns to the woman, pressing the shirt over her wound as best he can. That was when he looked down at her hands they were also bleeding, but not to badly, they'd probably just need to be bandaged a little.

Finally he was satisfied that her head had stopped bleeding Michael once again turned his attention back to the man on the ground. Michael made quick work of him as well, although this feeding wasn't quite as satisfying as the other man had been but at least his hunger was gone for now.

Michael hid the two men's withered bodies in the woods as well as the body of the man he'd found at first, in the back of his mind Michael wondered if 'she' had killed the first man. Deciding not to dwell on that thought he returned to where the woman still lay unconscious, pulling over the two bags on the ground nearby he opened them the first one had some women's clothes in it and the other had some men's clothes in it. Michael came to the conclusion that the one bag must belong to her and the other to the man who'd been stabbed to death; most likely he'd died protecting her.

Finally his mind could focus completely on the woman, what should he do with her? Leave her here and hope that one of the villagers would come soon and find her but what if no one came in time or what if those that came were just like the men who'd attacked her? That was it his mind was made up, she'd just have to come with him for now and then he'd figure out what to do with her later.

A/N: Well that's the end of chapter one, in the next chapter you'll find out what the woman's name is and what her story is. I'd love to hear what ya'll think, so please send a review my way, thanks. Also, I'd like to send a great big thank you to Feral Geek for all of her encouragement, and if you guys haven't read her story 'Show No Fear' you should trust me on this one, it's awesome.


	2. Alone

The Unseen

By: SNBRADY

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate:Atlantis or any of its characters.

Rating: M

Warnings: Violence, attempted rape and some swearing.

A/N: This chapter is more so from the woman's point of view, and it will recount the events of the attack. Her dream state and memories are in italics.

Alone

_Everything is fuzzy, there are sounds all around her, screaming and shouts from everywhere and this high pitched whine that seems so thick in the air that its like a weight pressing down on her. Finally one voice reaches her ears, a familiar voice, joy sweeps through her at that voice it's her brother Marek and he's calling her name, "Aaralyn, Aaralyn stay where you are I'm coming." Trying to stay rooted to that one spot is more difficult then she'd ever imagined it would be and it feels like an eternity before a strong arm wraps around her waist and begins to pull her along. They're running now, where she has no idea, but she has faith in her brother to keep her safe. Then suddenly he's gone and the noise has stopped, but she's alone, her hands sweep the air searching as she cries out for her brother, "Marek, Marek, where are you? Help me I'm all alone, where are you?"_

Suddenly everything shifts and Aaralyn feels herself being shaken, "wake up, everything's alright now, you're safe," she hears a strange voice say as two very unfamiliar hands gripped her shoulders shaking her lightly.

Pulling back from the hands, Aaralyn winces at the pain throbbing through her skull, "what is going on? Where am I? Where is my brother?" All of Aaralyn's questions come spilling from her mouth at once in a rather demanding tone.

"Just stay calm you're safe now," the man answers back, even though his voice is incredibly odd it is most definitely masculine.

"What do you mea…?" Aaralyn begins to ask him but then gasps as memories of the night before flood into her mind.

_Marek was guiding Aaralyn down the path away from the ring of the ancestors, they were on their way to the village they knew laid several miles down the path. Their people had traded here many times before and Marek was hoping they'd be able to find some help among the Turgans. They'd been walking for some time when she heard the sound of rustling in the nearby bushes. Aaralyn pulled on her brothers arm to stop him, "I hear something," she whispered to him._

_"Is someone there?" Marek called out into the darkness._

_The sound of the rustling got louder then and it became quite obvious to Aaralyn that there were at least two people there, "well look what we have here, travelers," comes a strange man's voice. Aaralyn didn't like this man already his voice was cold and mocking. _

_Marek's strong confident voice rang out, "yes we are, we're from Sidal, we…"_

_Then the man's voice broke in, "we don't really care, what do you have in the bags?"_

_Aaralyn felt Marek grip her arm tighter; these men were obviously going to rob them. She heard the men's foot steps come closer and Marek's hands remove her bag from her shoulder, then she felt him move in front of her, "please my sister she is blind and our world was just culled we only want to get to the village." _

"_Blind huh, to bad she won't be able to see what a fine figure of a man I am," a bit of mocking laughter in the man's voice and off to the side the other man made a soft laugh as well._

"_Yes I'm sure she's sorely disappointed," Marek shot back with his usual sarcasm._

_Aaralyn pulled on Marek's arm and said quietly through gritted teeth, "perhaps this is not the time to be a smartass." As much as Aaralyn loved her brother he had this way of pissing people off with his sarcastic comments and she got the feeling these were not the kind of men you wanted to piss off._

"_Yes well I think it would make this a lot easier," the moment the words were out of the man's mouth, Aaralyn felt herself being yanked back by her hair, a scream tearing from her at the sheer force of it._

_Fear quickly filled Aaralyn's mind, 'they didn't just want to rob them,' her fear was confirmed when the man who had a hold of her hair began to pull at her skirt. There was a bit of a scuffling sound nearby, punctuated by a groan of pain and suddenly the man holding her had let go and she felt herself being shoved. "Run Aaralyn," she heard Marek shout and she wasn't about to arguewith him, she just started running in the direction her brother had pushed her the walking stick that her father had made for her scanning the ground. The shouts from behind her were unbelievably frightening but what was even more frightening was when they stopped. In the back of her mind Aaralyn prayed that her brother had either defeated the men or that Marek had only been knocked unconscious, the sick feeling settling in her stomach told her she was wrong. _

_Aaralyn hadn't gotten far she knew that much, being unused to terrain here, it didn't take long before she bumped into a large tree. The sound of running footsteps filled her ears as she pressed her back against the tree. There was no way she would be able to outrun these men and decided that her only chance to live through this was to fight. Taking her walking stick into both of her hands, she prepared to defend herself as best she could._

_It hadn't taken long for the men to catch up, Aaralyn stood her ground even as the men started making mocking comments about her lack of sight but she was going to do her best to make them eat their words. She took her first swipe with her walking stick and yelled at the men to back away. Of course she hadn't hit either of them and apparently they thought it was very funny, the bastards were actually laughing. She took a few more swipes towards the men's laughter but she still missed and each time they would laugh even harder, making Aaralyn angrier by the second._

_Finally she struck out with her stick and connected with one of them, the laughter stopped then and a triumphant feeling swept through her but her over confidence was her undoing. She struck out again to try and hit the man once more, but then she felt the swing being stopped and her stick was yanked from her hands. Her hands stung from where the stick was jerked from her grip but they were all that she had left to fight with now. She balled up her hands into fists despite the pain but it was to late. _

_The next thing Aaralyn knew her arms were held to her side and she was being shoved backwards. Her body connected with the tree, and a sickening crack came from her head slamming back. Things started to get a little fuzzy from there all she could remember was the feeling of the man's bulking weight pressed into her as she struggled to get lose from his grip to no avail, his hot breath in her face and how it reeked of ale. Her fight to stay conscious was waning when he leaned in speaking something quietly to her, her mind couldn't make out the words but considering the cold sound of his voice she imagined she should be grateful that she couldn't understand. The last thing she could remember hearing was a sort of snarling sound and then nothing after that._

Snapping back out of those horrible memories, Aaralyn could feel the tiny pin pricks of tears beginning at the back of her eyes. By the time she can bring herself to speak, the tears are already filling her eyes, "how did I… who are you?" She asks the question not entirely sure she wants the answer. Other questions she isn't sure she wants to know the answers to swirl in her mind as well, had those men last night succeeded in their awful intentions? Was this man one of them? Where was Marek? The tears Aaralyn had been trying to hold back are now silently spilling down her cheeks.

"My name is… Michael, and don't worry you're safe here," That strange voice again, well at least now she had a name to go with, Michael, it is not a name she's ever heard before. Aaralyn feels Michael's hand brush against her cheek, flinching away from the touch she immediately regrets the action when the throbbing in her head comes back with a vengeance. Her face must have given away her pain because he asks, "does your head hurt?"

"A little," she answers trying not to sound weak, even though Michael says she's safe she isn't sure she should trust him yet but the truth is it feels as if her head is about to split open. Reaching back to tentatively touch her head, her fingers come into contact with her hair first, feeling the crunch of dried blood in it. 'Well guess I wasn't wrong about my head being split open,' Aaralyn thinks to herself, 'must have been why I passed out.' The man is moving around now but it doesn't take him long to return a strong medicinal smell following him.

"Here," he says placing a warm cup into Aaralyn's hand, she thought that the cup felt good against her aching hands, "it's an herb tea, it should help with the pain."

Taking a sip of the warm tea, she's thankful for its strong flavor since it covers the salty taste of the tears that have slipped into her mouth through the sides of her lips. She is so thirsty that she downs the rest of the liquid in almost one gulp, "thank you," she whispers to Michael. Aaralyn just sits there for a few moments worrying her lip before she finally decides to speak, "I guess I should tell you… that I'm blind."

He doesn't respond at first, simply takes the cup from her hand, moving away a little he finally speaks again, "I know… you should rest now."

Aaralyn notes in her mind that Michael has unusual hands, they're calloused in a few places like most men's but the right one has what feels like a long rough cut straight down the middle. Her mind begins to feel a bit fuzzy again, "Michael," she calls out to her host, her grip on consciousness slipping.

Feeling one of Michael's hands rest on her shoulder, "it's alright I told you, you're safe here, just sleep now."

Aaralyn feels like her eyelids are getting unbelievably heavy, "but I have questions."

"There'll be time for that later," Michael responds as he lightly pushes Aaralyn to lie back down.

"Just one then, my brother… is he here?" she asks hopefully, but the several moments of silence that meet her question tell her everything she needs to know.

"I'm sorry," is Michael's only response.

Rolling onto her side Aaralyn pulls her knees up to her chest, tears falling from her eyes. Marek is gone, her dream was true, now she truly is alone.

A/N: I hope ya'll liked this chapter, I know the fic's starting out rather dark but it will get a lot lighter in later chapters. As for those of you who are wondering how Michael knew about the tea, I'll explain in the next chapter. And yes, yes I know that in reality Aaralyn shouldn't be sleeping, because she could have a concussion but that's why it's called fiction. Also I'd like to thank everyone who sent me a review for chapter 1 they were greatly appreciated.


	3. The LIttle Human

The Unseen

By: SNBRADY

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate: Atlantis or any of it's characters.

A/N: This chapter will be sort of Michael's view point.

The Little Human

Looking down at the little human, she appears even smaller now that she's curled up that way, Michael can hear her softly sobbing, but he knows that with the combination of the tea he's given her and her own grief that she will fall back to sleep soon. Her back is turned to him and now he can see that the blood from last night has dried into her wavy chestnut brown hair and for a moment he allows himself to think about the pale blue color of her eyes and imagines that by human standards she'd be considered rather pretty.

'What the hell are you doing? Taking care of a lost blind little human and then thinking that she's pretty. Pull it together, the sooner she's out of here and back to her own kind the better,' his mind practically screams at him as he stares at the woman her breath evening out as she slips back into sleep. Michael is grateful that she fell back to sleep so quickly; however, it wasn't surprising since the tea he'd given her contained herbs the Wraith would use to keep their more restless 'guests' in check, it was a kind of natural sedative.

Letting out a heavy sigh Michael stands to leave the small cave he now calls home, the woman will need food when she awakes, that's when it strikes him that he hadn't even thought to ask what her name is. Looking back down at her Michael has the urge to just stand there watching her again and that's when he thinks that maybe it's for the best that he doesn't know her name, it will make it less difficult when she goes back to her own kind.

Slipping quietly through the woods, Michael thinks back to centuries ago when he was a young warrior and one of his responsibilities had been to capture game to feed the younglings. They were good memories of a time in his life when he'd been useful to his hive, but the life he was leading now… he had no purpose here and that was what he hated most about this existence.

Making the decision to leave his hive the first time had been difficult but the second time was a simple matter of survival, when his memory had began to return and he realized that it was he who'd betrayed the hive to the Lantians and when the others memories returned as well they'd surely kill him.

The escape was swift and precise Michael gathered what even supplies he thought he would need to make his solitary life as comfortable as possible, a couple of blankets, a few things to cook with, not that he really needed to eat but he did enjoy a nice cup of tea now and again, a couple changes of clothes, a stunner and a knife, at the time it seemed like enough but now they felt woefully inadequate.

It had been over two month since Michael had left his brothers and he hadn't spoken to a single person since then. He wondered to himself if perhaps that was why the young woman back at his cave seemed to captivate him so, he'd become so desperate for company that even a little blind human could hold his attention the way she seemed to.

Approaching the river Michael snaps out of his thoughts about the human woman when he spots a stout little animal taking a drink from the flowing water. Raising his stunner Michael's thoughts turn to his days as a hunter again, a little smile coming to his lips as he thinks about how back then he'd have simply drawn his knife and gone on a merry chase after the animal; however, he certainly could not do that today. With no more hesitation he lets loose a stunner blast and as it washes over the animal, it falls to the ground with a snorting cry.

Cleaning the animal was awkward at first but once Michael got started the movements quickly came quite naturally and before he knew it he was finished and cooking over the small fire in the cave. Michael had also picked up some rudimentary skills in cooking during his younger years and was happy to be able to use them again as well. He sat there trying to cook the meat he'd gleaned from the animal and found himself staring into the fire his thoughts focusing on the young woman who lay only a few feet away, what was he going to tell her when she wakes up and how was he going to get her back to her people without being seen?

However, Michael didn't have as much time to think as he'd hoped when suddenly a quiet voice called out to him, shaking him from his thoughts, "Michael is that you?"

Turning from the fire Michael can't stop the little smile that comes to his face when he looks at the woman, she has this captivating innocence about her, "yes… are you feeling any better?" he asks her moving a bit closer.

"My head feels better," she answers back, pushing her self up to sit she winces slightly at the motion.

Michael notices the expression, "however, I guess other things aren't doing as well," he says only a touch of worry tingeing his voice.

She shakes her head, "not so much no, I think I'm probably bruised in more places than I can count and my hands… well they sting a bit."

Michael's smile returns with the woman's brave words, "well at least the bruises will fade and your hands they're just scraped up a little." Her only response is a slight nod, as she reaches up to rub her eyes, clearly still a bit sleepy.

Without even thinking Michael grabs a wet cloth and takes one of her smaller hands in his but the little human pulls back at his touch, "what are you doing?" she asks the fear in her voice is obvious.

"I just wanted to clean up the cuts on your hands," he feels confusion as to why she would suddenly be afraid of him.

"Oh I'm sorry I just…" she holds out one of her hands for him, "thank you," she adds in a hoarse whisper.

Michael accepts the hand offered to him and begins to wipe away the dried blood and dirt. "The cuts aren't to deep, they should heal fairly quick, do they hurt much? Looking up he sees her quickly shake her head but she is biting her lip and he can see the tears beginning to pool in her eyes. Taking up her other hand he uses a gentler touch with this one and she finally lets her lip slip from between her teeth.

Michael's surprised at how well the little human handles physical pain, she doesn't fuss or try to get any kind of sympathy from him, she simply endures it. Then he notices something about the woman's hands, they definitely have the delicacy of a woman's hands but they aren't soft the way he'd expected them to be, instead they have the slightly roughened texture of someone used to hard work. It struck him as odd that a blind girl would have done anything that could cause her to have any kind of roughness to her hands.

"Michael," he looks up the woman's voice pulling him from his thoughts. Her head is turned slightly to the side in contemplation, "is something burning?"

Michael turns back to the fire quickly pulling the meat away and noting that it is burnt but only a few spots, he starts to cut it up in manageable pieces and removing the more charred sections, "well dinner is cooked a bit more than I'd planned on…"

"It's alright," she says from behind him, "I am rather hungry, I'm sure anything would taste good right about now."

Turning back to the woman, she carries a very anxious expression on her otherwise delicate features and she'd started twisting her fingers together in her lap, "don't look so worried… I don't think my cooking will be all that bad," Michael says trying to lighten the mood a bit.

The little human gives him only the briefest of smiles, before she turns her head away from him but Michael catches a glimpse of the tears filling her eyes again. She pulls in a deep breath to push back the tears clearly threatening to spill down her cheeks any second, "it's not that… can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," he answers, already feeling nervous what that question might be.

"How did I come to be here… with you?" with that one simple question, she'd managed to cut to the heart of the matter.

Michael's mind buzzed with all of the possible answers he could give her, "I was out… hunting…," it wasn't exactly a lie, "I heard you scream and I came."

"Then you saved me?" Michael couldn't help but smile at the innocent look of appreciation on the woman's face. "Thank you," she says as her hand beginning to reach up to touch him.

Michael immediately realizes that she's going to touch his face as a sign of thanks and he catches her wrist in his hand. "No, I mean um…here," thinking quickly he places the plate of food in her hand, "it's food." Michael felt the sudden urge to get as far away from the little human as possible, "why don't you eat and I'm going to go down to the river," he continues to make his way to the mouth of the cave. "I'll bring back some water so you can get cleaned up and then I'm taking you back to the village," he didn't even wait for a response; instead he rushed away as fast as he could.

Michael knew it was irrational to be afraid of her touching him, she was blind how could she possibly be able to figure out that he was a Wraith. However, something deep inside of him was scared to death of the idea that his little human would hate him because of what he was. He couldn't understand how she'd gotten under his skin so quickly, but one thing he was sure of he'd been right before, the sooner she was gone the better.

A/N: Sorry so long on the update this last week has been kind of crazy for me, since I live in Florida of course everyone's freaking out about Tropical Storm Ernesto, which was friggin' joke where I live in Orlando. I swear it was sunny half the day that they decided to cancel school and I got stuck at home with a really bored six-year-old…fun.


	4. Finding A New Way Home

The Unseen

By: SNBRADY

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate:Atlantis or any of it's characters.

A/N: This chapter will be from Aaralyn's point of view.

Finding A New Way Home

Aaralyn listens closely as Michael walks away, the sound of a closing door never reaches her ears, only the sound of footsteps and the rustle of leaves. There is also the feeling of soft earth under her instead of the hardness of a wooden floor, it makes her think that she must either be outdoors or perhaps in a cave if the slight smell of musk that hung in the air was any indication. Licking her lips, Aaralyn lets out a sharp whistle, the sounds quickly bouncing back at her from nearly every direction gave her the answer to that question, it was a cave. Listening even more carefully she can't hear any other sounds besides the rustle of leaves on the wind or the occasional call of a bird which indicated that they weren't very close to the village.

Suddenly warmth began to seep through Aaralyn's clothes, reminding her of the plate on her lap. She hadn't been joking when she'd told Michael how hungry she was, in fact it was at this moment that her stomach made an audible protest at being so empty. Aaralyn let her fingers become her eyes as they sought out the plate, finally they connected with the rim and she let them skim up the edge. The plate had a beautifully slick texture, very different from the rough earthenware she was used to at home. The food was warm under her touch, picking up a piece she rolled it in her fingers, the texture and fragrance indicating that it was some kind of meat. She pushes the food between her lips, Michael wasn't joking either when he said he couldn't cook; however, at the moment the needs of her stomach far outweighed the desires of her palate.

Before she even realized it Aaralyn had eaten all of the food on the plate and was feeling so much better now that she was no longer contemplating chewing off her own arm. She finally began to consider what she was to do now, a very fresh sense of sadness crept through her heart as she recalled yet again the events of the previous night that have left her to fend for herself. A few tears escape her eyes, she quickly brushes them away and banishes the rest with a deeply inhaled breath, she refuses to let her own fear and uncertainty cripple her.

Michael has already said that he'll take her to the village, but what will she do there, she doesn't know anyone there and who really wants to take in a blind girl. Perhaps Michael knows someone who'd be willing to let her work for them.

A ghost of a smile comes to her lips as her thought turn to Michael… her savior. He seems to be a rather interesting man, he has been very kind, he saved her life as well as her virtue, he gave her food and shelter, even comfort and yet there was something so… odd about him. The little interaction they've had he's acted so nervous and guarded like he was afraid to say the wrong thing. The only reason she could think of was that perhaps Michael was some kind of hermit who isn't used to talking with other people, unfortunately that strange voice of his makes it nearly impossible to even guess at his age.

Aaralyn had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Michael's approaching footsteps until he spoke, "you're finished?"

Aaralyn jumps at Michael's sudden appearance but quickly gets her response under control, "yes," she answers an embarrassed little smile coming to her lips, "thank you."

Michael was quite for several moments before Aaralyn could hear him finally move closer to her. He came to knell next to her, "this is for you," he says quietly taking one of her hands into his. The coolness of the water feels good against her still battered fingers, so much so that a little smile comes to her lips, "will you umm… will you need help getting clean?"

Michael's question comes out sounding so nervous that Aaralyn can't help smiling a little bigger, she could practically hear the blush in his voice, "no Michael, I can do it myself."

"Well then I'll just umm… I'll be outside," Michael says as the weight of the plate leaves Aaralyn's lap and Michael's footsteps make there way out of the cave again.

Aaralyn sits listening for more than a minute for any indication that Michael might still be nearby. When she doesn't hear anything Aaralyn pulls up her skirt to reveal only one leg before running the wet cloth over the surface of the smooth skin there. She continues the process revealing only one part of her body at a time, Michael might be a very nice man and may have saved her life but she still wasn't about to let him see her without her clothes on. Once Aaralyn had cleaned everywhere that she could without removing any of her clothes she stopped to listen again and when she heard no sign of Michael she slowly began to undo the ties on her jacket. The undershirt that would be left once her jacket was removed would protect most of Aaralyn's modesty, all the Michael would see of her were her bare arms and a bit more of her neck but it still made her nervous. Among Aaralyn's people it would be considered unseemly for a young unmarried woman to expose even so little of her flesh to anyone outside of her family.

Removing the jacket was a bit of an ordeal, the still rather painful bruises making it difficult to move her arms behind her so the garment could slip off. Finally it was gone and then she reached back to grab the jacket, it had an unusually stiff feeling to it. Aaralyn brought it in front of her to try and figure out what was wrong with it, bringing it to her nose several smells assaulted her at once making her stomach turn. Blood, sweat and fear had nestled their way into her clothes and again reminded her of the horrible events of the night before. Tears stung at the backs of her eyes and the desire to wash out the smells is almost overwhelming but then another smell catches her, a familiar one, Marek.

With the smell of her brother come so many memories of home, tending the gardens around their home with their father, learning to cook and clean with their mother and playing with their brothers and sisters as children. Aaralyn can't help thinking that this may be the last time she will be able to inhale the smell of home and that's when it hits her how lost and alone she really is.

The sobs come almost immediately and at the moment she wouldn't be able to stop them even if she'd wanted to. All of the pain in her heart and soul comes spilling from her eyes and her mouth with little cries of anguish. Aaralyn's mouth again filled with the salty taste of tears, her nose lost the ability to smell anything and her ears rushed with the sound of her own blood. This was the reason she hated crying it made her feel helpless when all of her other senses became dulled.

A sudden light breeze swept over her skin and then she heard Michael ask in a muffled voice, "are you hurt?"

The worry in his voice is obvious even when she can't hear properly, Aaralyn tries to answer but all she can get out are gasping gulps and resorts to shaking her head. It feels like an eternity before strong arms wrap around her and Aaralyn finds herself burying her face into Michael's chest. A funny feeling sweeps through her as Michael holds her, it's an odd sense of release, like having a huge weight lifted off of her, every muscle in her body relaxes, even as she begins to sob harder.

Time goes by in a haze, so Aaralyn isn't sure how long Michael has been holding her like this, his fingers drawing gentle patterns along her back as he slowly rocks her in his arms. Her breath is still coming out deep and shuddering but at least she has stopped weeping. Aaralyn is feeling much calmer now that her senses are no longer impaired, finally her sense of smell has returned and she gets her first opportunity to truly inhale Michael's scent. It is a warm, musky smell with an underlying spiciness, also there is the distinct fragrance of leather from his clothes.

Unfortunately it is at this moment that Aaralyn realizes how far into his neck her nose is and remembers that she isn't entirely dressed. Pulling away from Michael's arms Aaralyn makes a vain attempt to cover her bare arms with her hands, "I'm sorry Michael."

He must have realized how uncomfortable she was because the next thing Aaralyn knew Michael was placing a blanket around her, "it's alright, are you feeling better now?"

Michael's question is simple but the answer is so complex that Aaralyn doesn't even know where to start, "well at least I've stopped crying." A ragged sigh escapes her lips, "but no I don't think I am alright, I'm scared… and I don't know what I'm going to do now without Marek."

"That's your brother?" Michael asks and she gives him a little nod in response, "well I'm sure the rest of your family is quite worried about you."

The urge to cry hits Aaralyn again but she closes her eyes willing herself not to start weeping all over again, "no they're… they're dead," the words were even harder to say than she'd imagined and tears she can't stop are trickling down her cheeks again.

Michael is quiet for what seems like a long time before finally speaking, "was it… the Wraith."

"Yes," the word comes as barely a whisper.

Again Michael goes quiet as though he's lost in his own thoughts, just as Aaralyn is lost in her own memories of home, "if you wanted you could stay with me… for a little while."

A/N: Ok so I hope ya'll liked chapter 4, the next chapter will be a bit more interesting, especially for Michael. Thank you to everyone who have been leaving me such wonderful reviews, I appreciate every single one. Oh and I'd like to thank 'Feral Geek' aka Amie for all of her encouragement with this fic and all of the advertising (cough-pimping-cough) that she's been doing for me on her incredible fic 'Show No Fear' lots of love to you.


	5. Arguements and Other Annoying Things

The Unseen

By: SNBRADY

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate: Atlantis or any of its characters.

A/N: This chapter will be from Michael's point of view and everything in italics are flashbacks for him. On another note I'd like to apologize for it taking so long for me to update; however, I have a perfectly legitimate excuse. For the last couple of months I have been feeling really sick and all because I let my husband knock me up again. That's right I'm pregnant with my second and most likely last child, thankfully everything has been going ok with the baby except for the fact that I've had morning sickness or as it should more appropriately be called morning, noon and night sickness. Although I think it's finally begining to go away, thank God!!! So wish me luck with the rest of the pregnancy and thanks to everyone who's left reviews (sorry I didn't get to reply to all of them this time.)

Arguements and Other Annoying Things

Michael sits in a tree just beyond the village his stomach twisted in an anxious knot; he'd been there for more than a day watching the goings on of life within the village. He'd sit there in silence watching as the mother's rushed around the market place with their small children, groups of older men clustered together talking and laughing and smaller groups of young women would walk together as young men would try to attract their attention.

As Michael's eyes watch the young women his thoughts always focus on his little human, Aaralyn. He hadn't intended to keep her with him for very long a few days at most but then somehow a few days turned into a few more and before he'd even realized it the coolness of spring was gone and the oppressive heat of summer had taken it's place.

Aaralyn turned out to be a very smart and kind young woman, also there was the fact that she could cook and clean, with a far greater ability than Michael possessed. For him having clean clothes again was a near miraculous event and that alone was almost reason enough for Michael to keep her around or so he liked to tell himself. Michael quickly learned to enjoy the simple domestic life he shared with her; he even enjoyed leading her around. However, it didn't take her long to learn the lay of the cave and the area just beyond but Michael still walked her everywhere else, never letting her leave his sight for more than a few minutes, that was until two days ago.

_Breathing in a deep breath of cool air inside their cave a little smile came to Michael's lips when he smelled the breakfast that Aaralyn had already prepared. Keeping up the appearance of being a human definitely had its advantages, one of them was getting to eat Aaralyn's cooking, and she was surprisingly good at it especially considering her blindness._

_Pushing the blanket away Michael leveraged himself up, his eyes quickly scanned the small cave for his little human, but she wasn't there. The first thoughts to enter his mind were that she must be outside tending to the garden she had planted about a month ago, that should have been his first indication that she wasn't going to be leaving him anytime soon._

_Stepping out into the warm summer air, Michael's eyes immediately turned to the little patch of earth that was already turning a brilliant green; however, it looked untouched that morning. Michael called out to her, "Aaralyn… Aaralyn where are you?" but after several moments the question went unanswered. A strange feeling crept into Michael's stomach making it feel as though it had flopped about, where was she? Michael's mind began to race with many horrible scenarios to explain Aaralyn's disappearance; because surely she wouldn't have gone off alone she couldn't even see where she was going._

_His worry getting the best of him, Michael took off looking for his little human. It didn't take him long to find her, just coming past a grove of bushes his eyes caught a glimpse of the pale blue top that she had taken to wearing now that the weather had grown warmer. Aaralyn was knelt by one of the berry bushes they'd discovered a few weeks earlier._

_Feelings of relief and annoyance hit him all at once, "what are you doing?" Michael asked as he quickly approached Aaralyn._

_"Picking berries," came the seemingly innocent and yet completely infuriating answer._

_"You know what I mean!" he said anger tingeing his voice, "you are not to go off by yourself like this again!"_

_"Excuse me," Aaralyn's expression changed to one of annoyance as well, "what are you talking about I barely left the cave and what is wrong with you today."_

_"This is not barely leaving the cave," Michael's anger was growing by the second, "and how did you even get out here by yourself!"_

_"This may come as a surprise to you Michael but I'm not as helpless as you seem to think I am! I'm perfectly capable of making my way around alone! You remember how I used to bump my way around the cave but now I can navigate it just fine, guess what same concept! And I'm sick and tired of you treating me like some helpless little thing because I'm not!"_

_Michael's anger flared inside of him at Aaralyn's hotly spoken words and before he even realized what he was doing he'd pushed her back against a nearby tree. Every instinct in his body was telling him to slam his hand into Aaralyn's chest and drain away her life, it was at that moment that it hit him, his hunger was returning. _

_The look of shock and hurt that was clearly etched on her face made his knees go weak._

"_Aaralyn I'm so sorry," the words fell softly from his lips but it was to late her eyes were already beginning to fill with tears. _

_The shove she gave Michael was as much a surprise as it was expected at the same time. Aaralyn didn't waste any time getting away from him and all he could do was stand there in dumbfounded shock. Then suddenly it was as if everything came crashing in on him, the complete realization of what he could have done to his little human._

_It was quite some time later when Michael had finally gotten his emotions under control enough to return to their cave. Taking a deep breath Michael walked into the entrance, all the while his stomach was twisted into a knot because he was sure he knew what she is going to say to him, she was going to leave, why wouldn't she after what he'd done?_

_To Michael's surprise Aaralyn was just sitting with their breakfast in front of her, "Aaralyn," he said her name tentatively worried that she would still be angry with him._

"_Are you ready for breakfast?" she asked the question as though nothing was wrong at all._

"_What?" Michael responds feeling completely confused._

"_I um… if you're not hungry," Aaralyn starts to pick up the dishes but he can see that her hands are shaking._

"_Aaralyn stop… I know you must be angry with me and," Michael felt as though the words where sticking in his throat, "if you wanted to leave, I'd understand."_

_Aaralyn's back was turned to him now but he could hear the tears in her voice, "do you want me to leave?"_

_Michael felt every muscle in his body tense at the question, how was he suppose to answer that question, "I don't know… maybe it would be for the best."_

"_I didn't mean to make you angry," Aaralyn's voice was shaking even more then._

"_I'm not angry with you… my temper just got away from me but you have to know that I'd never intentionally hurt you," Michael said placing his hand on Aaralyn's shoulder and then she does something that takes him completely by surprise._

_Spinning around Aaralyn pinned him with a hug her face burying into his chest, "I know," came her muffled response._

_A nearly overwhelming feeling of desire hit him at that moment, the feeling had been building for the last few days and it should have been his first clue that he was nearing a time that he needed to feed. It was always this way when the hunger hit him, the need to feed made all of his other biological needs more difficult to ignore._

_It was the same for all Wraith as well; in fact many of his brothers would seek to sate those needs with each other, since their queen was incredibly jealous and had never allowed other females within the hive. However, Michael had never chosen that path instead he'd always dealt with the urge to mate by himself but the feeling of the warm curves of Aaralyn's body pressed into him was almost to much of a temptation and for those few moments he had never been so thankful for Aaralyn's modesty of dress._

_Aaralyn's face turned up towards Michael, "I don't want to leave you."_

"_Then stay," his voice came out raspy and he unconsciously pulled Aaralyn a little tighter against himself. Michael knew he should let go of her but the feeling of her so close to him felt so wonderful he just couldn't make his body follow the commands of his mind._

_Unfortunately Michael had been so preoccupied with his bodies reaction to the little human in his arms that it came as quite a surprise when he felt her hand come up to rest against his cheek, thankfully though the touch did serve to bring him back to his senses._

_Moving quickly Michael pulled back from her as though he'd been burnt and his heart was hammering in his chest at the thought that Aaralyn might know what he is. His emotions were in such a jumble that it took a few moments for Michael to realize that Aaralyn had said something, "why do you always do that?"_

"_Do what?" he finally growled at her, still trying to get his breathing under control._

"_Pull away when I try to touch your face," Michael looked at her face it was a mask of confusion and worry, "I mean seriously Michael I've lived with you for months and I still have no idea what you look like."_

"_Because I don't want you to!" he snapped at her for the second time that morning. "I just don't want you to be afraid of me," Michael cursed himself for not thinking before he spoke._

_The wary look on Aaralyn's face made Michael feel nervous, "why would I be afraid of you Michael?" her voice had a very serious edge to it then._

_Willing himself not to simply blurt out an answer, not an easy task in his current condition, "because I… don't look like other people."_

_Aaralyn's expression was rather comical when she waved a hand in front of her face, "and that's suppose to matter because."_

_For the first time that morning Michael actually laughed, it was strange how Aaralyn always had that effect on him. Whenever he would begin to get worked up over anything she would do something funny like that and get him to laugh, "I'm not sure," he finally answered._

_Aaralyn also laughed a little, "in that case," she said approaching him._

_Without even thinking Michael takes a few hasty steps backward, Aaralyn must have heard the movement because she stopped her advance, "Aaralyn you can't not yet… when I return I promise."_

"_Return," she tilted her head to the side in what Michael liked to call her thinking face._

"_Yes I was thinking actually that it is good that you can take care of yourself like this," Michael was finding it difficult to say the words, especially with the look on Aaralyn's face, "because the hunting here has become somewhat scarce and I was thinking I would try going elsewhere for a few days."_

_Aaralyn quickly turned away so Michael could no longer read her expression, but he could see that her breath was coming out in short shuddering bursts, "when would you leave?"_

"_I think the sooner the better," Michael was very worried how she'd react but she didn't yell at him._

_Aaralyn moved away from him going towards the place where she kept the bags she had come with, at first he was afraid she was looking for something to throw at him but then she pulled out a long hooded cloak. "You should take this," she said holding it out to him, "it might get cold."_

_Michael was surprised by the offer Aaralyn had always been so protective of her brother's things, in fact she'd slept with his bag as a pillow for the first month she was there. Her giving that to him was a very big deal because she'd told him once that the reason she'd used her brother's things as a pillow was because the smell of them reminded her of home and made her feel safe. "Are you sure?" he asked the question tentatively._

"_Yes, you should take it," Michael slowly took it from her hands._

"_Thank you," he said as he turned to leave the cave._

"_Michael," he paused hearing her call after him, "please be careful."_

"_I will," with only those few words he left._

Michael's thoughts snap back into reality when he hears the laughter of three young men, from where he was sitting he could see the young men pushing a younger boy between them. His eyes narrow at their mocking laughter when one of them hits the boy and he falls into the mud crying. The entire scene brings back memories of how the two men had treated Aaralyn when he'd found her and Michael's right hand twitched with the desire to drain every last bit of life from the young men.

That night it hadn't been difficult to catch one of the men alone when he'd come out of the tavern to relive himself, a bit later one of his friends came out to check on him neither of them even knew what hit them until it was to late. Having satisfied his hunger Michael decided to leave the last of the young men for when he'd have to return. Not wasting anytime Michael left the village far behind him and headed back towards his home and his little human.

It took almost a day to reach the river and Michael decided to stop and take a drink when suddenly his ears caught the sound of a woman singing.


	6. Suspicions

The Unseen

By: SNBRADY

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate: Atlantis or any of its characters.

A/N: Hey all my loyal and annoyed readers I can not tell you how sorry I am that it took me so long to update but I have two very good reasons the first one being that, I was forced to take a little hiatus because I took extra courses this semester at school so that I could get as many done as possible before the baby came. I wanted to be able to take a lot less courses next semester so that I had more time to devote to my son and my brand new baby girl. Who in fact arrived just two weeks ago, she is perfect and everything went pretty well with the delivery, if you discount the fact that I fractured my tail bone. Don't laugh it's actually a lot more common then you might think. But no worries I'm back to writing again and I've even started work on the next chapter. So again I want to thank everyone who reviewed I love all of you, even the ones who made me feel guilty for not update sooner. Well on with the fic.

Suspicions

Aaralyn had been enjoying the bit of freedom she felt without Michael around, such as at the moment she was enjoying a real bath, instead of simply sponging herself off like she did when Michael was around. Being completely naked was simply not an option with the way Michael had of sneaking up on her, besides if he caught her in the river like this he'd probably have a fit. The thought of what Michael would say if she told him about the man she had talked to in the woods the day before and she imagined a lot more than a fit over that. Michael had always been very kind to her but way to overprotective.

As the gentle waves of the river lapped against her skin, Aaralyn's mind turned towards how much she loved taking baths, it made her feel so light being in the water, when she was on land it was always like the whole world pressed in on her. She was constantly having to be aware of everything around her but when she was bathing all she truly had to feel was the gentle flow of the water and the sand beneath her feet. Another thing Aaralyn had always loved about bathing was the singing, she remembered as a young girl when the women of her village would gather together to bathe themselves and their children the way they would sing the entire time. Today being surrounded by the cool water of the river, which was welcome against the heat of the day, Aaralyn felt like singing too, besides it wasn't as though anyone was around to hear her.

Having just finished one of her favorite songs, Aaralyn lets out a contented sigh and begins to make her way towards the shoreline. A shiver runs thorough her as she leaves the water, the little droplets left on her skin are evaporating quickly in the summer heat. She walks the few steps to the tree where she had hung her clothes to dry, that was another nice thing she'd finally gotten the chance to clean all of her clothes. Her hands finally came into contact with the still slightly damp garments but she still pulled her things from the branches and began to put on her undergarments.

Half way through the process of dressing Aaralyn thinks she hears a twig snap not to far away, turning her head in the direction of the sound, her heart is pounding in her chest at the thought that someone might be watching her. She listens closely for a while but when she doesn't hear anything else she decides it was probably just one of the small animals that live the trees. Nonetheless Aaralyn doesn't waste any time getting dressed and heading back to the cave.

When Aaralyn arrives at the cave she sets straight away getting everything together to make dinner, especially since Michael had said that he'd be home today. A little smile comes to her lips when she starts to think of Michael again, sure he could be an annoying, overbearing pain at time but she'd actually rather missed him. One very good thing about Michael was the way he'd listen to her stories about home, in fact there were times that he would practically beg her to tell him a story to pass the time and she missed talking with him.

It was nearly an hour after Aaralyn had arrived at the cave when the sound of footsteps approaching reached her ears, a little shiver of excitement went through her stomach, "Michael is that you?" she calls out.

"Yes," comes the somewhat tentative reply but Aaralyn doesn't even notice the slight worry in Michael's voice as her face breaks into a grin.

"I'm so glad that you're home," she says rushing over to greet him at the entrance of the cave.

"So am I," Michael responds quietly letting Aaralyn pull him inside.

"Did your hunting trip go well?" she questions as they both sit down by the fire so that Aaralyn can continue cooking.

"It was… fine," this time Aaralyn doesn't miss the sound of hesitation in Michael's voice.

"Did something happen?" she asks sympathetically as she seeks out his hand.

When Aaralyn's hand comes in contact with his knee instead, Michael jumps as though she'd hurt him and he pulls away slightly. "No I said everything was fine," there is a certain pained quality in his voice that completely surprises Aaralyn. She hears him hastily stand, "I have some work to do outside, I just wanted you to know that I was back," Michael begins to walk away but then stops just short of the cave's entrance, "I'll return in time for dinner."

Aaralyn just sits there listening to Michael's retreating footsteps wondering to herself what she could have done to upset him so, was he still angry about their fight or did something happen on his hunting trip?

In the back of Aaralyn's mind a little alarm kept going off telling her that perhaps this hunting trip was not exactly what it seemed to be. In the few months that she had lived with Michael, there had been several odd things that he had said or done that made Aaralyn suspect that Michael may very well not be what he seemed to be either. But Aaralyn would always push her suspicions away because they were so irrational almost to the point of insanity, how could Michael possibly be a… Wraith. No! he couldn't be it didn't make any sense, why would Michael pretend to be a human if he were really a Wraith or in that case why would he even care about the life of a blind human woman. All of her life Aaralyn had been taught that the Wraith cared nothing for humans other than as a source of food but her Michael seemed to genuinely care about her, but that strange feeling that something wasn't right kept plaguing her. What if he was though? Would it change everything she felt towards him? But what if everything she'd been taught about the Wraith was wrong and there was good inside of them?

'No this feeling is just paranoid,' Aaralyn told herself and just went back to cooking.

Dinner had been ready for nearly an hour when Michael finally returned to the cave. Aaralyn turns her head towards the approaching footsteps, she is glad that he is back but she can't seem to shake this knot in her stomach.

Michael's footsteps stop just inside the cave entrance, his voice is soft as he speaks, "you didn't have to wait for me."

"I wanted to wait for you," Aaralyn's nervousness over what Michael is going to say making the knot in her stomach grow even tighter, "I missed you."

The silence that hung over them for several moments was almost deafening, "I… missed you too."

Michael's words were soft and hesitant but at the same time Aaralyn could tell that he meant them and a little smile came to her lips, "then come and eat dinner with me."

Turning to get them something to eat, Aaralyn felt Michael's hands on her shoulders stopping her movements. Michael turns her around to face him but still doesn't say anything for several moments.

"What?" Aaralyn finally asks beginning to feel a bit worried and wanting to break the silence that had descended between them.

"Before I left," Michael began a ragged sigh leaving him. Aaralyn's nervousness returning as she is sure this is about their fight, "I promised you something."

A huge sense of relief swept through Aaralyn and she couldn't help the little laugh that escapes her lips, "is that why you've been acting so weird?"

Michael makes this slightly amused sound before answering, "well… it's one of them."

Aaralyn's smile fades a little as she brings her hands up to rest against Michael's chest and she feels him shudder under her touch. "Michael," she says his name softly hoping to calm him, "don't worry… it really doesn't matter to me what you look like." Letting her hands slide up to the back of Michael's neck she continues, "you are my dear friend and I don't know what I'd do without you."

Suddenly Aaralyn feels Michael's hands caress either side of her head and he shifts to lean closer to her. Michael's breath sweeps over her face and a strange sensation hits her low in her stomach as an odd idea creeps into her mind that Michael is going to kiss her.

Michael's words that follow this uncommon display of affection do little to push that thought from Aaralyn's mind, "this isn't the easiest thing for me to admit but I um… you… have become very dear to me as well… and I think that I'd be very lonely if you weren't around."

Trying to swallow down the lump that had formed in her throat, Aaralyn could feel her eyes begin to fill with tears. Michael had never said anything like this to her before, in fact he never even wanted to talk about his feelings at all. The only way she ever had of knowing that he cared anything about her was when he'd get upset with her when he thought she was doing something to dangerous.

Michael leans forward a bit more and that odd sensation comes back even stronger this time, almost as if by instinct she closes her eyes and lets her lips part only a little bit but Michael's lips never reach hers instead he places a gentle kiss to her forehead. A cold stab of disappointment quickly replaces the warm exciting sensation that had been building inside of her and a few tears slipped from beneath her eyelids, half the tears were happy ones because Michael had finally admitted caring about her, but the others were because she was upset that he didn't feel more for her.

As Michael pulls back Aaralyn tries to hide her feelings behind a watery smile and quickly swipes away the tears still on her cheeks. "We should eat it's getting late," she says turning around to get them dinner, all the while mentally berating herself for allowing such a stupid, childish notion to have ever enter her head.

None of the men on her world had ever felt like that towards her because of her blindness, why should she even hope that it would be any different with Michael. Aaralyn couldn't help but remember how it had stung when she had discovered that she was considered an unsuitable choice for a wife, because everyone thought she would not be unable to protect her family if the Wraith were ever to attack but wasn't it ironic now that she was the only one left.

Dinner was a rather subdued affair that night, not like usual when he'd describe what he did all day or when she would tell him stories of home. Aaralyn had tried a couple of times to get Michael to tell her about what happened while he was gone but he just kept giving her vague answers followed by long stretches of awkward silence. As a consolation it did give her a chance to think of reasons why it was good that Michael hadn't kissed her. Aaralyn's first reason had been that it would greatly complicate things between them because she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about him yet. She wasn't sure if her feelings really went beyond friendship, it was hard to tell because she'd never been in any kind of romantic situation before. Then there was also the matter of her more worrisome suspicions about Michael what if he wasn't what he said he was, did she really want him having those sort of feelings towards her. However, that notion still seemed so absurd that it was quickly dismissed from the list of possible reasons.

Aaralyn had been so lost in her own thoughts that it took her mind several seconds to catch up to the fact that Michael had said something, "what?" she asks her head snapping towards the sound of Michael's voice.

"Are you finished eating?" Michael asks for what Aaralyn is sure is at least the second time.

Aaralyn feels a bit of an embarrassed blush make it's way to her cheeks because she realized that she'd probably only eaten half of the food on her plate, "yes I… I guess I'm just not that hungry tonight."

She can hear Michael let out a heavy sigh, "well then it's getting late why don't you go ahead and get ready for bed while I clean up."

"No Michael I should do that, you've just come back from a long journey," Aaralyn tries to reason with him.

"No we agreed when you started living here that whenever you cooked that I would clean," Michael says firmly as though expecting her not to argue but then he adds, "and I think we both know why you're the one who always does the cooking."

In spite of how emotional the last few hours had been for her Aaralyn couldn't help laughing at Michael's joke, "no I don't think that I need to guess," she says with a smile she just can't seem to get rid of now. Michael had a way of doing that too, he'd do something annoying but then he'd make some sort of a joke to make her laugh. Standing up she begins to make her way to the blankets where she sleeps, behind her she can hear Michael gathering the dishes together. "Michael," the sounds of the dishes stops so she knows he's listening, "I really am glad that you're home."

Michael is quiet for a moment but then says, "I'm glad that I'm home too… goodnight."

Aaralyn says a soft, "goodnight" as she slips under her blanket and closes her eyes trying to allow sleep to claim her but it doesn't come easily tonight. Her mind keeps filling with thoughts that make her cheeks blush, she keeps imagining what it would feel like it Michael actually had kissed her, how it might feel to run her hands along his warm skin as he held her and she even allowed herself to wonder what his hands would feel like on her skin. Though Aaralyn never would have admitted it to anyone but she had always been very curious what it would feel like to be made love to or that she wasn't completely oblivious to the mechanics of it either.

The strange feeling Aaralyn had earlier came back when she was thinking about Michael touching her and now she finally had decided what it felt like, it was almost like an ache inside of her but not a painful one, more pleasant really.

It was some time later before sleep finally claimed her and just as she was slipping off she couldn't help wondering what sort of interesting fantasies her mind might come up with while she slept that night.

A/N: In case ya'll didn't notice the later chapters are going to get steamier, hence the reason this fic has an M rating. Also someone wrote me (I'm sorry I can't remember who) and pointed out that Michael seems out of character when I write from Aaralyn's point of view, that's because I meant for it to be that way. Not only can Aaralyn not see Michael's facial expressions to discern his moods but I'm also writing from a feminine perspective which is much softer than Michael's male perspective.


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